Family escapes injury but house riddled with bullets
The last few days in Belize City have not seen a homicide but that doesn’t mean the bullets have stopped flying. Two families escaped serious injuries Tuesday morning when a barrage of lead penetrated the walls of their houses, missing a three year old boy by inches. The gunshots rang out around seven-thirty on Haulze Street in the Saint Martin de Porres area. The shooting was motivated by an argument that started the day before between two neighbours over their children who were reportedly fighting. But the family whose house suffered the majority of bullet holes was not even involved in the exchange. The argument originated between Lilian McCulock who had complained to the neighbour down the street about their two children fighting. But instead of the adults disciplining the youngsters, they became embroiled in a confrontation of their own when the neighbour’s son pulled a machete on McCulock. McCulock’s nine year old daughter woke up her dad, Windfield Tasher, and informed him about what was going on. The situation deteriorated when Tasher showed up on the scene and in defending his woman, manhandled the youth with the machete. But half an hour later, Tasher’s house would come under fire along with that of his neighbour, Barbara Foster. Foster, who has lived on Haulze Street for two decades, says she fears for her life and that of her family.
Barbara Foster, House damaged by gunshots
“Mi common-law was drinking tea and my grandson was standing right in front of him and when he heard the shots like he pick up di baby in time and threw him on the bed and one of the bullets just land right in my room, right into the chair, I don’t know. It must be the chair saved the baby, I don’t know. And the younger one, the baby that is three weeks old was lying on the bed when one of the bullets penetrated one of those tall mirror fi ward robe and all the splinter splattered on the baby. I just tell mi daughter to take him to the hospital to see if everything is ok. Ah have four of them, sometimes four of them is here with me, cause I take care of them, you know.”
Marion Ali
“And this was not the first time this happened?”
Barbara Foster
“Oh no, my house get shot up already when my thirteen year old get injured. Ah noh feel safe yah no more and then you know I’m a sick person, diabetic, high blood…I don’t feel safe anymore.”
Foster says she wants the shooter to pay for the damages to her newly constructed lumber and metal house. Police have not yet filed any charges against the two people they have detained for the incident. They are also looking for a third suspect.
